


The Midnight Solution

by weasleytook



Category: Big Bang Theory
Genre: 1000-5000 Words, F/M, Holiday, New Year's Eve, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-01-18
Updated: 2010-01-18
Packaged: 2017-10-06 10:12:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/52533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/weasleytook/pseuds/weasleytook
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's New Year's Eve, and all Penny wants is one kiss.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Midnight Solution

**Author's Note:**

> My first BBT fanfic ever (aww), posted on 12/22/2009 originally.

This sucked. This really really sucked and try as she might, Penny couldn't find any other words to describe it. She knew it was a silly tradition, but it was something she had grown accustomed to. When she was 14 years old, she had kissed Jeremy Barton at midnight on New Year's Eve. And on each New Year's Eve after, there had always been someone to kiss. Until this year.

It wasn't just the lack of a kiss that was killing her holiday excitement. Her life was in a rut. She had broken up with Leonard months ago and hadn't even been on a date since. No relationships, no sex, no acting jobs and she was still working at the Cheesecake Factory and barely making ends meet. The only bright spot in her life had been in the apartment across the hall. Things with Leonard had been awkward at first, but they had once promised each other that they would always stay friends, and they had. She admitted she had just thought of them as nerds when she moved in, but over time, she realized they were all so much more than that. They were some of the best friends she had ever had.

She was standing at the kitchen counter of her co-worker Janelle's apartment, swirling a watered down drink in her hand and watching people take part in the usual New Year's traditions of drinking and socializing. This used to be exactly what she would do on the holiday, but these days, she would have preferred Thai food and a Doctor Who marathon with the guys.

"Hey Penny…"

Penny smiled and leaned in to the counter. "Hello Howard… enjoying yourself?"

"Definitely. I just came over to get Bernadette another drink. Found a fella to kiss yet?"

Penny laughed and shook her head. "Noooo, I don't think that's going to happen for me tonight."

"Normally I would offer up my own services, but as you know, these lips are someone else's property now."

For once, Howard's offer didn't make Penny want to vomit in her mouth. Not that she would ever willingly kiss him, but she thought it was a nice gesture anyway.

"I completely understand. But it's okay… I think this is one tradition I'm going to have to break this year."  
Howard had finished pouring Bernadette's drink and gave her a nod before departing. "Happy New Year, Penny… gotta get back to my lady."

"You too, Howard."

Penny sighed and stared into the bottom of her glass. The lack of a kiss wasn't the only tradition she was breaking this year. Usually December 31st was just another excuse to drink up and let loose. Not this year. She had been holding the same vodka and 7-Up for the past 2 hours. Her heart just wasn't in it. New Year's was a time to make resolutions and Penny was considering giving up drinking. She was hardly an alcoholic, but alcohol usually led to stupid decisions in her case and she had made enough of those in her young life.

As if on cue, Penny spotted Raj across the room with a bright green drink in his hand. He was attempting to chat up a cute redhead who was looking incredibly overwhelmed. Penny momentarily pondered the idea of laying one on Raj at the stroke of midnight. He certainly had a sort of adorable charm, but he still couldn't talk to her when he was sober. She was afraid if she kissed him, she might completely break his brain. Sure, he was intoxicated right now, which might help the situation, but Penny had grown to love him like an awkward shy brother and a midnight kiss would just be…

"Too freakin' weird…," she muttered under her breath.

She was grateful that Janelle had allowed her to bring the guys tonight, and from the looks of it, at least Howard and Raj were having fun. Sheldon wasn't in her line of sight at the moment, but seeing as how she practically had to hogtie him to get him to come, she was sure he wasn't having his best night ever. She scanned the room and saw Leonard perusing some bookshelves. She couldn't imagine what he was looking at until she remembered that Janelle's boyfriend Matt was an avid comic book reader.

There's always Leonard. She knew Leonard would volunteer to be her midnight kiss in a heartbeat. But if the idea of kissing Raj was awkward, the idea of kissing Leonard was a big bag of awkward tied up with a bow of uncomfortable. Their breakup, which was inevitable as Sheldon would often remind her, was as mutual as a breakup could be. They cared for each other, and God knows they tried to make it work, but there were no real sparks, not enough to sustain something long term. She had wanted so badly to fall in love with a good guy for once but it just didn't happen.

So, there it was, she knew Leonard would kiss her, as a friend. But she knew Leonard well enough to know that it might bring up some feelings from the past. Things between them had been great once all elements of romance and sex had been stripped away. Penny and Leonard were friends, and it was working. She was terrified a simple kiss at midnight would somehow ruin that.

Leonard was definitely out, and Penny realized she had been standing in the same spot for at least an hour. Pathetic. She decided she was at least going to make an attempt at mingling and started roaming through the crowd of people. It only took her moments to size up any other male prospects for that elusive midnight kiss. Nothing. Everyone seemed to be paired up already and the few single guys there were the same type of creeps she used to date and had sworn off. The one night of the year she used to able to count on for a harmless hook-up was now the night that everyone but her had someone to kiss.

"Get over it, Penny… it's no big deal…"

And now she was talking to herself. Penny frowned and looked around for Sheldon. He was no fan of loud parties, so if anyone was having a worse time than her, it would be him. She finally spotted him sitting on the window seat, hands in his lap, quietly observing the party as if it were one of his whiteboards that never made any sense to Penny.

She made her way through the crowd and sat on the empty seat next to Sheldon. He continued looking forward but acknowledged her presence with a nod.

"Penny."

"Sheldon…" her voice matched his inflection perfectly, "how ya doing?"

"Temperate." His blue eyes flicked in her direction to see if she needed further explanation but Penny just smiled at him.

"I know what that word means. Feels kinda cold over here to me though…"

"True, the proximity to the window during winter may cause a decrease in temperature but the heat from the radiator flows in such a direction that it's actually quite pleasant. This is all presupposing you have an appropriate amount of attire on."

Penny ran her hands over her bare arms for warmth. Sheldon was dressed in his normal layers, but she was wearing a slightly revealing dress. She had figured if she was going to be dateless on a holiday, she might as well look fantastic. "Are you saying I should put some clothes on?"

Sheldon turned to face her, head tilting quizzically. "Well, no, not exactly. But I do believe it is the socially appropriate thing to offer you my jacket. It's hanging on a coat rack by the door. I can retrieve it for you if it will help."

"Thanks Sheldon, but I'll be fine. What about you? Are you having any fun at all?"

"In the strictest definition of the word, no. I do enjoy observing the social rituals of the average human, but as I'm sure you are aware, there are things I'd much rather be doing."

Penny sighed and put her drink on the window sill beside her. "Me too."

"Really? I would have thought this was your 'scene'."

Penny tried to suppress a laugh. Sheldon was the only person she had ever known who didn't need to physically make air quotes because he could express the same sentiment with just the tone of his voice.

"It used to be, but I'm just not feeling it anymore. I'm sorry I dragged you here. I promise, we'll stay for the countdown and then get out of here, okay?"

"Yes, that will be fine. But why aren't you having any fun, Penny?"

Penny looked downward, trying to avoid his piercing gaze just a little. "It's silly. You wouldn't understand."

"Penny."

"I know, I know… you have an IQ of 187, there's very little you don't understand. I get it. But, there are these holiday traditions and I know they're silly, but when you get used to doing it every year and then it doesn't happen… you miss it."

"I may not believe in the folklore or the reasons people participate in these traditions, but I do understand having a routine and how it feels to have that routine interrupted."

Penny looked back up at him and smiled. "I guess I never thought of it that way…"

"Of course you didn't."

Penny rolled her eyes, but it had become increasingly difficult to be mad at Sheldon when he said things like that. He never meant to be mean. To him it was just another fact. Besides, they both knew that Penny could dish it right back at him.

"You know, Penny, a lot of people are unaware that there are a great number of superstitions that go along with the ringing in of a new year. Not that I put any stock in them, but some believe that one's cupboards should be full before January 1st to ensure that they will remain full for the rest of the year…"

Penny half-listened to him go on about how bills should be paid before the New Year, new clothes should be worn on January 1st and so on and so on. But she was too busy watching him to hear all of his words. There was something beautiful about the way he looked when he had hitched on to a subject that he could talk in depth about. It didn't matter whether it was history, physics or Battlestar Galactica. It was always interesting to watch.

His long pale fingers would move deliberately, but fluidly, to illustrate whatever point he was making. She had never known a man who could be so awkward and yet so graceful at the same time. Penny realized she was staring and felt her face get warm. Sheldon had not noticed, his blue eyes were twinkling like they did when he had something he wanted to explain. His lips moved a mile a minute as he spoke and that's when it hit her full force. She wanted to kiss Dr. Sheldon Lee Cooper, and when she made something her mission, she always got what she wanted.

She checked her watch and realized there wasn't even enough time to have a debate with all the thoughts swirling in her brain. There was a part of her that thought the whole thing was an absurd idea, but the part of her that just wanted to know what those lips would feel like on hers was a whole lot louder. If she wanted to kiss Sheldon, she would have to make her move soon. Snapping back in to reality, she realized that Sheldon was still talking.

"And in British folklore, they believe that the first guest to enter your home after midnight, called the "first foot" can either bring you bad luck or good luck. To bring good luck, it should be a tall dark-haired male…"

"Like you!"

"I suppose so. If you believe in that sort of thing."

Penny deliberately inched closer to him, unable to stop the grin that was curling up her lips. "What about the midnight kiss? Where did that come from?"

Sheldon was taken aback and sat up a little straighter. "I'm not sure actually. I'll have to get back to you."  
"I'm sure you will. You know, I've kissed someone at midnight on New Year's Eve every single year since I was 14. But this year…"

"No suitable mates to be found at this party?"

"Actually, I think I have found a suitable person to kiss tonight…"

Sheldon looked down at his own watch and then back at her. "Then you should probably conclude your conversation with me and go find him."

She briefly thought about just laying one on him, but he wasn't one for spontaneity and she didn't want to terrify him. Penny lightly put her fingertips on his forearm and surprisingly he didn't flinch. His skin was warm and soft and she gazed at him with complete seriousness.

"Sweetie, it's you. There's no one else."

His eyes flickered and he began shaking his head and muttering, "… the implications… I – well, Penny… we shouldn't…"

"Sheldon, it doesn't have to mean anything. We're just two good friends giving each other an innocent kiss to celebrate the start of a new year. That's all. Just do it for me, as a favor. Favors are a part of being friends, right?"

"I suppose…"

"And it's just this one time for three seconds. Then never again. Things can go back to exactly the way they were before. Just think of it as part of a social contract. You're keeping me, your friend, from breaking a routine that is near and dear to me."

The room was just bright enough that she could see his face turn slightly pink as he turned his gaze away from her. His sudden shyness only made her want to kiss him more. Her hand trembled slightly as she reached out to touch his face and turn his gaze back to her. She gave him her best puppy-dog look, hoping that he wasn't immune to her pleading.

"Please, Sheldon. This has been a horrible night, and I had a horrible year, but I'm ready to move on and maybe next year will be the greatest year of my life. I don't know. But, please just let me have this. Let me start off the year with something good."

Sheldon nodded and she sighed softly with relief. "Fine. Though I don't know how good it's going to be."

Penny chuckled and stood up, motioning for him to join her. She used to have to wear flats to kiss Leonard, but tonight she was in heels and Sheldon was still taller than her. He stood straight as a board next to her and if she didn't know better, she would have thought he had grown even taller in the last three minutes. He put his hands behind his back, fidgeting slightly, but nowhere near as nervous as she expected him to be.

"So, now what?"

"We wait for the countdown and then when it's midnight, we kiss. Count to three and things will go back to the way they were, okay?"

Sheldon nodded in agreement and wiped the palms of his hands on his grey pants. Maybe he was nervous after all. Someone in the distance called out that it was almost midnight and Penny felt her own breath catch in her throat. She had no idea what to expect. It was Sheldon, after all. But it excited her more that she didn't know what was coming. They stood together, not facing each other, but Penny's eyes kept flicking over to check him out. He seemed surprisingly unmoved to her.

10…

Lips. She was staring at Sheldon's lips.

9…

8…

His eyes had locked on her as she stared.

7…

6…

She was going to kiss Dr. Sheldon Lee Cooper and by some strange miracle, he had agreed to let her.

5…

4…

Her mind suddenly flooded with the realization that she didn't know how to approach this with him. Eyes open, eyes closed, lips parted or shut.

3…

2…

Screw it, she decided. She was just going to lay one on him and try to enjoy it.

1…

The crowd around them began shouting "HAPPY NEW YEAR!" and their noisemakers went full force as Penny and Sheldon turned to face each other.

"Happy New Year, Sheldon…"

He started to respond but before the words would come out, her lips were on his. They were soft and warm, and she knew that she had promised him only 3 seconds but she hadn't even bothered to begin counting. Sheldon didn't respond at first. Even though her eyes had closed she could sense that his hands were hovering over her bare arms. Her toes curled up in her silver high heels and though she had been cold before, she could feel the blood in her veins warm up.

She was ready for him to jump away from her any second now. When he didn't move an inch, she leaned in to him and parted her lips just a little to see what would happen next. Sheldon put his hands on her bare arms and pulled her even closer. Penny put one hand behind his slender neck entwining her fingers in the soft dark hair at the nape, and her other hand landed on his hip.

She pulled her lips back just to breathe and then went in for more, this time with even greater intensity. She lightly sucked at his lower lip and Sheldon took this as his cue to part his lips as she had before. Her heart was pounding a loud rhythm in her chest as she let her tongue dart out and into Sheldon's mouth. He may have been inexperienced, but he was a genius and knew how to follow her lead. Their tongues danced together as he lightly trailed his fingers up her arms sending a pleasant shiver down her spine.

Her knees went weak, but Sheldon caught her instantly and pulled her even closer. She could faintly hear the crowd finishing up the last part of "Auld Lang Syne" as Sheldon was melding his surprisingly muscular body into hers. A 3 second kiss had turned into what felt like minutes and it might have gone longer if one of the drunk busboys from work hadn't knocked in to them and shouted a barely coherent "HAPPY NEW YEAR!" at them.

Penny jumped back as if she'd been hit with a cattle prod and gave the guy an annoyed stare before he walked away. The heat that had filled her up suddenly started to drain out of her and she didn't know what to feel. She was embarrassed that she had been so shallow and petty about a stupid kiss that she could have just ruined a great friendship. But at the same time, if she had to rank her Top 5 kisses, this one could have gone to straight to number one. She didn't know what it all meant, but it didn't help that they hadn't even looked at each other since they had been interrupted.

She finally remembered to breathe and turned to look over at Sheldon. He was staring straight ahead, paler than she had ever seen him. He looked like he was reciting pi to the 50th place in his head, eyes moving slightly, his expression deep in thought.

She was pretty sure she had just killed Sheldon Cooper.

"Uhm… Sheldon?"

He still didn't look at her, just muttered "Mhhmmm?" quietly.

"I – I'm going to go find Leonard so we can go."

Sheldon made the slightest nod but still did not look at her. She sighed and made her way through the crowd to where Leonard was hanging out. He was just as ready as she was to get out of there. They quickly made sure that Howard, Raj and Bernadette were fine without them, said their goodbyes to Janelle and met Sheldon at the front door. He was already holding his two-tone tan jacket but instead of putting it on, he held it out to Penny.

"What's this for?"

"You said you were cold. I'm offering my jacket. I thought we discussed this as the proper social etiquette earlier."

She hadn't killed Sheldon after all. Apparently he had snapped back to being himself in no time at all.

"Okay … thank you." Penny smiled and took the jacket, quickly putting it on before they exited.

Penny volunteered to sit in the backseat of Leonard's car for the duration of the ride. And she was glad she did. She could hear Leonard telling Sheldon about Matt's comic books and what was glaringly wrong with his collection, but she didn't care. Her brain was too twisted up in what had just happened. She didn't know why she was so disappointed. It had been her who told Sheldon that things could just go back to the way they were before, so essentially this was her fault. Sheldon was being Sheldon, but Penny felt like her heart weighed a ton.

She kept her eyes on the back of his neck, watching the muscles move slightly as he babbled on about Green Lantern or something like that. His jacket was too long on her, but still seemed to fit just right. Best of all, it smelled like Sheldon. It wasn't a smell she could nail down to specific things, he just smelled clean. She had sat next to him on the couch enough times to recognize it as distinctly Sheldon.

They reached their apartment building and Penny trudged up the four flights of stairs behind the guys who had clearly concluded their previous conversation. Each step just made her more frustrated. The worst part is she didn't know how she wanted him to react to all of this. If things just went back to the way they were before, then they'd always have their friendship but she'd never experience another moment like they had just shared. But if they kissed again, what would come of that? She wasn't sure Sheldon even knew how to be a boyfriend, nor did she think he ever wanted to be one.

She groaned a little as they finally hit the fourth floor and both men turned to look at her.

"I'm fine, just tired… good night guys."

But she wasn't fine. She was acting like a stupid teenager and she knew it. She pushed past them to go to her door but turned back for a moment. Leonard already had the door of 4A open and he waved a hand and muttered good night to her as he went inside. Sheldon paused though and she wondered if maybe his beautiful mind meant he could somehow see what she was thinking. But he said nothing, just stared at her for a moment and then went inside.

She went into her apartment, closing the door behind her, sighing as she did it. She kicked off her shoes and immediately sunk down into her couch. Who knew the guy who had once strung up her panties like a piñata would be the same guy she was driving herself nuts over? She realized she was still wearing Sheldon's jacket and snuggled herself deeper into it, taking in that sweet clean smell again.

"Oh, Penny, you idiot. Why can't you just keep your lips to yourself?"

She was just about to smack herself in the forehead for talking to herself again when she heard an extremely familiar noise.

Knock knock knock.

"Penny."

Knock knock knock.

"Penny."

Knock knock knock.

"Penny."

"Come in, Sheldon!"

Sheldon entered and shut the door with a quiet click behind him. Penny sat up and her eyes lit up in amusement.

"Hey… First foot!"

Sheldon tilted his head in response and Penny stood up and walked towards him. "Remember? First foot! You said to bring good luck the first visitor of the New Year should be a tall, dark-haired male… and here you are."

"Penny, I did not forget what I said. I never forget anything. I just don't believe in those sorts of superstitions."

"I know, I know. But still, here you are, my first visitor. So what do you want? Your jacket back?

"No. That's not why I came over. I told you I would find out why kissing at midnight is a tradition."

Penny saw a little bit of pink flush his cheeks and she couldn't help but smile. The mere mention of kissing had made him blush, so maybe he wasn't so unaffected after all.

"And you did? Already?"

"I googled it. On my phone."

"And what did you discover?"

"Apparently tradition states that the person you kiss at midnight is the person you will spend the rest of the year with."

"Well, you do live across the hallway and I see you almost every day, so DUH."

Sheldon was clearly trying to stop himself from rolling his eyes. "I'm sorry, let me clarify. The prevailing folklore states that the person you kiss at midnight is the person you will be kissing for the rest of the year."  
Now it was her turn to blush.

"Oh. Well. Good thing you don't believe in that stuff, right? You'd be stuck kissing me for the next 365 days and I'm sure you'd find that awful."

Sheldon's mouth opened and closed a couple of times but no words came out.

"Good night, Sheldon…"

That was supposed to be his cue to exit, but he stood there like a statue, his hands clasped behind his back.

"Sheldon… just go, please."

"You said things could go back to the way they were before. I don't think that's possible."

"What?"

"The paradigm has shifted and whether you attach any meaning to what happened, it has already been done and cannot be undone."

Penny nodded in understanding and attempted a smile. "Fine, the paradigm has shifted. I get it."

Sheldon shook his head and pursed his lips together before speaking. "I really don't think you do."

Her jaw clenched tightly. "Sheldon, if this is another one of those times where you're going to tell me how I'm not smart enough to understand what you're talking about, please leave. I'm really not in the mood."

"No, no, actually, I think this is something you have a far better understanding of then I do."

Penny's eyebrows went up and her nose crinkled in confusion. "What?"

"Penny, I may have a vast knowledge of the universe and all things in it, but as you know, social relationships, particularly romantic ones often baffle me. So, the only thing I can think to say is… If it is alright by you, I would very much like to kiss you again."

Penny's mouth dropped open in shock. Along with 'I hate Spock', this was the last thing she would have ever expected Sheldon to say. She didn't hesitate any longer and practically flew at him, her arms wrapping around his neck as she pushed up on her toes to press her lips against his.

The second time was even better and unlike the first time, Sheldon instantly knew what to do. His arms slipped around her waist, and seconds later, his tongue was in her mouth. She ran her fingers down the warm skin of his neck while Sheldon's hands slipped under the jacket and ran up her back. Penny pressed her body into his and found that she fit perfectly there. She couldn't stop the soft moan that came from her throat, and they finally broke away to get some air.

She could feel his heart pounding in the same rhythm as her own and she stared up into those big blue eyes.

"Sheldon… what about the next 365 days?"

"I believe we can come to a mutual agreement about that."

Penny smiled and she saw the beginnings of a genuine smile on Sheldon's face as her fingers caressed his cheek.

"I think I'm going to like this new paradigm."


End file.
